Senior living continues to be a theme in planning reform, including in the recent report from the House of Commons’ Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, The future of the planning system in England. 

The report recognises the importance of the sector, concluding that there should be support and encouragement in the planning system for local authorities to deliver housing for older people. It recommends a new use class for retirement communities to ensure clarity in the planning process and that there should be a statutory obligation for local plans to identify sites for specialist housing.

This report is not binding on government but has the potential to bring about positive change as planning reforms progress into policy and guidance.

However, references to senior living are not new. Similar conclusions and recommendations have been drawn in previous reports and guidance with little effect.

For example, the House of Commons’ 2018 report, Housing for older people, included recommendations for a national strategy and for national planning policy to encourage housing for older people, ensuring sites are available for a wide range of developers. It also recommended that the standard approach to assessing housing need should explicitly address the needs of older people. Among a variety of other measures it suggested guidance should recommend that local authorities adapt the use classes order to accommodate senior living and reduce the contributions required from developers.

And in 2019 the Government’s planning guidance Housing for older and disabled people identified the critical need to provide housing for older people, explaining that a better choice of accommodation can help prolong independent living and maintain community connections, as well as help reduce costs to the social care and health system.

Previous conclusions and recommendations have not been put into practice to date. Very few local authorities have adopted specific policies relating to senior living and site allocations for senior living schemes are rare. Planning reforms will take time to embed and at present there is little certainty as to whether the focus on senior living will be taken forwards. It therefore begs the question: how critical will the need for senior living housing be if and when the planning reforms take place?

Further information

Contact Aimee Squires

Contact Savills Planning